Dental attachment placement structure

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides methods, computing device readable medium, devices, and systems having a dental attachment placement structure. One dental attachment placement apparatus includes a body having an attachment placement surface that is to be placed on an attachment affixing surface of a tooth and wherein the attachment placement surface includes a portion that is shaped to allow placement of an attachment at a particular position on the affixing surface of the tooth and a portion of the body having a contour that is shaped to correspond with a contour of an alignment surface of a tooth and when the contour of the body and the corresponding contour is aligned, the attachment is located at the particular position and can be secured to the affixing surface of the tooth.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/963,527, filed on Dec. 9, 2015, the entire contents of whichare hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure provides methods, computing device readablemedium, devices, and systems that utilize dental attachment placementstructures prior to or during dental treatment. Dental treatmentsinvolve restorative and/or orthodontic procedures to improve the qualityof life of a patient.

For example, restorative procedures may be designed to implant a dentalprosthesis (e.g., a crown, bridge, inlay, onlay, veneer, etc.)intraorally in a patient. Orthodontic procedures may includerepositioning misaligned teeth and/or changing bite configurations forimproved cosmetic appearance and/or dental function. Orthodonticrepositioning can be accomplished, for example, by applying controlledforces to one or more teeth or a jaw of a patient over a period of time.

As an example, orthodontic repositioning may be provided through adental process that uses positioning appliances for realigning teeth.Such appliances may utilize a shell of material having resilientproperties, referred to as an “aligner,” that generally conforms to apatient's teeth but is slightly out of alignment with a current toothconfiguration.

Placement of such an appliance over the teeth may provide controlledforces in specific locations to gradually move the teeth into a newconfiguration. Repetition of this process with successive appliances inprogressive configurations can move the teeth through a series ofintermediate arrangements to a final desired arrangement. Appliances canalso be used for other dental conditions, such as application ofmedications, appliances to help with sleep apnea, and other issues.

Attachments are affixed to the one or more teeth of the patient(typically with an adhesive material, such as an attachment compositematerial) or directly cured to the tooth. These attachments interactwith surfaces on the appliance to impart forces on one or more teeth.

Such systems typically utilize a set of appliances that can be usedserially such that, as the teeth move, a new appliance from the set canbe implemented to further move the teeth without having to take a newimpression of the patient's teeth at every increment of tooth movementin order to make each successive appliance. The same attachments may beutilized with successive appliances or attachments may be added,removed, or replaced with other attachment shapes that may impartdifferent force characteristics than a previous appliance and attachmentcombination (i.e., appliance and one or more attachments).

Currently, attachments can be formed by hand by a treatment professional(e.g., a doctor or assistant). In this process, a treatment professionalselects an attachment material to be used and inserts the material intoa well, formed in a sheet of material, to the desired exterior shape ofthe attachment is provided to the treatment professional and the mixedattachment material is pushed into the well to form the attachment basedon the shape of the well.

The attachment is then removed from the well and then put on a tooth andcured. The mixing of the attachment material and amount of attachmentcomposite put into attachment wells on templates are uncontrolled, andtherefore errors can occur.

The absolute position of the attachment on the tooth is also subject touser error. When this occurs, the mismatch between the position and/ororientation of the attachment in relation to a contact surface on theappliance, may make using the appliance difficult or impossible and/ormake the appliance less effective (reduction of one or more forces beingapplied by the combination of the attachment and appliance) or providean incorrect effect (location and/or orientation of the attachmentprovides different force characteristics than was intended).

Accordingly, the positioning, orientation, and securing of attachmentsis typically done by a treatment professional at a dentist ororthodontist's office. However, treatment professionals can make one ormore errors when mixing, forming, positioning, orienting, or securingone or more of the attachments and as such, the appliance and attachmentcombination may not fit together correctly or impart the correct one ormore forces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a front view of a dental attachment placementstructure for placement of an attachment according to a number ofembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1B illustrates a back view of the dental attachment placementstructure of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C illustrates a front view of the dental attachment placementstructure of FIGS. 1A and 1B positioned on a tooth of a patient.

FIG. 1D illustrates a front view of a dental attachment attached to atooth of a patient utilizing the dental attachment placement structureof FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of a dental attachment placementstructure having multiple attachment placement components provided onthe structure according to a number of embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3A illustrates a front view of a dental attachment placementstructure for etching a tooth according to a number of embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 3B illustrates a back view of the dental attachment placementstructure of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3C illustrates a front view of an etched area of a tooth of apatient that has been etched utilizing the dental attachment placementstructure of FIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of a dental attachment placementstructure having multiple attachment placement components provided onthe structure according to a number of embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5A illustrates a front view of another dental attachment placementstructure for etching a tooth according to a number of embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 5B illustrates front view of a dental attachment attached to atooth of a patient utilizing the dental attachment placement structureof FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6A illustrates a front view of another dental attachment placementstructure for etching a tooth according to a number of embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 6B illustrates front view of multiple dental attachments attachedto multiple teeth of a patient utilizing the dental attachment placementstructure of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7A illustrates a front view of another dental attachment placementstructure for etching a tooth according to a number of embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 7B illustrates front view of a dental attachment attached to atooth of a patient utilizing the dental attachment placement structureof FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8A illustrates an angled front view of a dental attachmentplacement structure having an attachment placement component provided onthe structure according to a number of embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8B illustrates an angled back view of the dental attachmentplacement structure of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 8C illustrates a cutaway side view of the dental attachmentplacement structure of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9A illustrates an angled front view of a dental attachmentplacement structure having an attachment placement component provided onthe structure according to a number of embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 9B illustrates an angled back view of the dental attachmentplacement structure of FIG. 9A.

FIG. 9C illustrates a cutaway side view of the dental attachmentplacement structure of FIG. 9A.

FIG. 10A illustrates an angled front view of a dental attachmentplacement structure having an attachment placement component provided onthe structure according to a number of embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 10B illustrates an angled back view of the dental attachmentplacement structure of FIG. 10A.

FIG. 10C illustrates a cutaway side view of the dental attachmentplacement structure of FIG. 10A.

FIG. 11 illustrates a computing device that can be utilized according toone or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure provides methods, computing device readablemedium, devices, and systems having a dental attachment placementstructure. Such solutions should make mixing, forming, positioning,orienting, and securing attachments easier and quicker, and can make thepatient's experience better than use of past procedures.

One dental attachment placement apparatus includes a body having anattachment placement surface that is to be placed on an attachmentaffixing surface of a tooth and wherein the attachment placement surfaceincludes a portion that is shaped to allow placement of an attachment ata particular position on the affixing surface of the tooth and a portionof the body having a contour that is shaped to correspond with a contourof an alignment surface of a tooth and when the contour of the body andthe corresponding contour is aligned, the attachment is located at theparticular position and can be secured to the affixing surface of thetooth.

In the present disclosure, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way ofillustration how one or more embodiments of the disclosure may bepracticed. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail toenable those of ordinary skill in the art to practice the embodiments ofthis disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments maybe utilized and that process, electrical, and/or structural changes maybe made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the designators “M”, “N”, “P”, “R”, “S”, “T”, and “V”,particularly with respect to reference numerals in the drawings,indicate that any number of the particular feature so designated can beincluded. As used herein, “a number of” a particular thing can refer toone or more of such things (e.g., a number of teeth can refer to one ormore teeth).

The figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the firstdigit or digits correspond to the drawing figure number and theremaining digits identify an element or component in the drawing.Similar elements or components between different figures may beidentified by the use of similar digits. For example, 101 may referenceelement “01” in FIG. 1A, and a similar element may be referenced as 301in FIG. 3A.

As will be appreciated, elements shown in the various embodiments hereincan be added, exchanged, and/or eliminated so as to provide a number ofadditional embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, as willbe appreciated, the proportion and the relative scale of the elementsprovided in the figures are intended to illustrate certain embodimentsof the present disclosure, and should not be taken in a limiting sense.

FIG. 1A illustrates a front view of a dental attachment placementstructure for placement of an attachment according to a number ofembodiments of the present disclosure. In the embodiment of FIG. 1A, theapparatus 100 includes a body 101 having at least one surface shaped toconform to one or more of the contours of an exterior surface of atooth. In the case of the embodiment of FIG. 1A, the body has multiplesurfaces, (inner surfaces of portions 102-1 and 102-2), each shaped toconform to the multiple contours of an exterior surface of a tooth, andother surfaces will be discussed in more detail in FIG. 1B.

The body 101 also includes an attachment mounting structure 104including the attachment 106, an aperture 110 to allow placement of theattachment 106 on the surface of a tooth, and a number of supports 108.The structure illustrated in FIG. 1A, allows the treatment professionalto place the apparatus 100 onto the teeth of a patient to provide a moreaccurate position and orientation for the attachment 106, with respectto the tooth surface, during the securing of the attachment 106 to thesurface of the tooth than previous techniques.

The securing of the attachment can be accomplished in any suitablemanner. For example, the attachment can be cured to the tooth surface,for instance, by use of a light source, such as ultra-violet (UV) lightsource, which will bond the attachment material directly to the surfaceof the tooth. In some embodiments, an adhesive material can be appliedto the back side of the attachment and the adhesive can be used tosecure the attachment to the tooth surface.

In various embodiments, the apparatus can be designed to have onesurface shaped to conform to one or more contours of an exterior surfaceof a tooth (e.g., a surface that conforms to a portion of the frontsurface of a tooth), such that when the two surfaces are aligned, theircontours match, thereby indicating to the treatment professional thatthe apparatus has been placed correctly.

This correct placement can be with respect to the placement of theapparatus with respect to the tooth in one or more dimensions (e.g., up,down, right, left, rotationally, etc. with respect to the tooth surfaceupon which the attachment will be applied). If the apparatus iscorrectly placed, then the attachment will also be correctly placed withrespect to the tooth surface.

As used herein, “positioning” is the locating of the attachment at aparticular point on the surface of a tooth and “orienting” is themovement of the attachment in a manner that does not change its positionon the surface of the tooth (e.g., a rotation of the attachment about anaxis or movement of the attachment in one or more directions that doesnot change its position on the surface of the tooth). For example, anattachment can be positioned at a particular point on the surface of atooth and then can be oriented by rotating it, for example, parallel tothe tooth surface, or along an axis perpendicular to the surface of thetooth. Other angles of rotation can also be used to orient theattachment without changing the attachment's position.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the apparatus includes manysurfaces that are shaped to conform to many contours of many exteriorsurfaces of multiple teeth (e.g., one or more contours of the frontsurface, side surfaces, edge surfaces, back surface, etc.).

Generally, the more surfaces used, the more accurate the positioningand/or orientation of the attachment, in relation to the tooth, can beto the desired correct placement. Also, when attaching multipleattachments, these surfaces can be used to accurately position andorient the attachments in relation to each other.

Once an attachment is placed on the tooth, it has to be secured to thetooth and the apparatus has to be removed. In some embodiments, such asthat shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the apparatus can include one or moresupports connecting the attachment to the body.

In such embodiments, the one or more supports can be made from amaterial that allows the support material 108 to be separated from thematerial of the attachment 106. For example, the support can be madefrom a material that can be broken at or near the location where thesupport and attachment are connected.

In some embodiments, the attachment between the support and theattachment can be released by a release agent, such as a chemical, heat,moisture, or other type of release agent. The release agent may, forexample, dissolve a portion of the support and/or attachment in order torelease the support and/or attachment from each other.

In various embodiments, the support and attachment can be fabricatedfrom the same material, but the structure of the support can be suchthat it can be broken at a point to disconnect it from the attachment.Any suitable technique can be used to achieve the breaking or release ofthe support and/or attachment material in order to release the supportfrom the attachment.

For example, the support structure may include a narrow section that isconducive to breaking at that location. In another embodiment, thesupport structure may include a scored section that is conducive tobreaking at that location.

In various embodiments, the attachment can be mechanically mounted tothe supports such that the attachment can be released from the supportsonce the attachment is secured to the surface of the tooth. This can beaccomplished by any suitable releasable attachment structure. Forexample, one suitable structure is a groove located on each support andcorresponding mating flanges on the attachment surface that can be slidout of the grooves to release the attachment from the supports.

FIG. 1B illustrates a back view of the dental attachment placementstructure of FIG. 1A. In this view, the back side of the body 101 isshown including the back side of the attachment mounting structure 104including the attachment 106 and supports 108, and the two innersurfaces of portions 102-1 and 102-2 of the body 101, each shaped toconform to the multiple contours of an exterior surface of a tooth areshown.

As used herein, a surface that is shaped to conform to a contour of anexterior surface of a tooth (i.e., an alignment surface) can be used toaccurately position and/or orient the attachment on the tooth. Forexample, if surface of the apparatus is shaped to conform to a contourof the front surface of the tooth (e.g., surface 102-1 shown in FIG.1A), then when the apparatus is pressed against the front surface of thetooth such that the contours of the tooth and the apparatus correspondto each other, the attachment will be correctly oriented with respect tothe angle of the back side of the attachment to the surface of thetooth.

In the view shown in FIG. 1B, more surfaces shaped to conform to themultiple contours of an exterior surface of a tooth are shown than werevisible in the view of FIG. 1A. As discussed above, if another surfaceis used, for example, a side surface 112-1, then the placement of theattachment can be more accurately accomplished with respect to itsposition and orientation.

For instance, when the side 112-1 is positioned along the correspondingside of the tooth such that their contours align, then the attachmentshould be the correct distance from the side of the tooth and will becorrectly oriented with respect to the angle of the back side of theattachment to the surface of the tooth.

When more surfaces are utilized, the position and/or orientation of theattachment can be further precisioned. For example, the body 101includes side surfaces 112-1, 112-3 of a first tooth, and side surfaces116-1 and 116-3 of a second tooth. The body 101 also includes surfacesthat are shaped to conform to the gingival line on a tooth 112-M and116-N, and surfaces 112-2 and 116-2 that conform to the bottom edge of atooth (and/or the bottom of the front and/or back side of the tooth).

Additionally, the embodiment of FIG. 1B includes a portion that conformsto the back side of the first tooth 114 and another portion thatconforms to the back side of the second tooth 118. The use of suchsurfaces in conjunction with other surfaces can also allow for use ofthe corners of the teeth to be used to aid in positioning and/ororientation of an attachment. For example, the apparatus can be slidonto the tooth until the bottom edge of the tooth contacts the bottomedge 112-2 of the apparatus. When the front surface, the sides, corners,and bottom of the apparatus are aligned with their corresponding toothsurfaces, the attachment can be very precisely placed on its intendedtooth surface.

FIG. 1C illustrates a front view of the dental attachment placementstructure of FIGS. 1A and 1B positioned on a tooth of a patient. In theview of FIG. 1C, several teeth and the gingiva of a patient areillustrated, including teeth 134-1, 134-2, 134-3, and 134-R. Theapparatus 100 has been placed on the two of the teeth (134-2 and 134-3)such that the inner surfaces of portions 102-1 and 102-2 are placed incontact with tooth surfaces 136-1 and 136-2, respectively.

FIG. 1D illustrates a front view of a dental attachment attached to atooth of a patient utilizing the dental attachment placement structureof FIGS. 1A and 1B. The resultant placement has been accomplished viathe attachment mounting structure illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

In this manner, the attachment 106 has been correctly positioned on thesurface 136-1 of tooth 134-2 and oriented such that it can provide thedesired force to the teeth of the patient (e.g., 134-1, 134-2, 134-3,134-R, and/or other teeth of the patient) when combined with the dentalappliance that will attach to the attachment.

In some embodiments, such as that shown in FIGS. 1A-1C, the attachmentand/or the dental attachment placement structure, can be fabricatedthrough direct fabrication, such as via a three-dimensional (3D)printer). This can be beneficial as the treatment profession can printthese components at their location rather than at a manufacturingfacility. Further, these components do not need to be formed around amold of teeth when direct printed, this can save in manufacturing costsdue to less time, materials, and employee time in creating such modelsand removing the components from the models.

Direct fabrication also allows for the design to be more easily andreadily changed because the design can be altered via a computing deviceand direct printed from the modified design stored in memory on thecomputing device or a connected network or memory. Further, directfabrication allows for creation of components of different materialwithout substantial changes to equipment that may be used at amanufacturing facility, among other benefits.

For example, a dental attachment placement apparatus can be formed byprinting, using a three-dimensional printing apparatus, an attachment,out of an attachment material and printing, using a three-dimensionalprinting apparatus, a dental attachment placement structure, connectedto the attachment to hold the attachment in a particular position. Insome embodiments, the dental attachment placement structure and theattachment can be fabricated from the same material. Material, examplesinclude: polymers such as, polyester, a co-polyester, a polycarbonate, athermoplastic polyurethane, a polypropylene, a polyethylene, apolypropylene and polyethylene copolymer, an acrylic, a cyclic blockcopolymer, a polyetheretherketone, a polyamide, a polyethyleneterephthalate, a polybutylene terephthalate, a polyetherimide, apolyethersulfone, a polytrimethylene terephthalate, or a combinationthereof, which can be used to make dental appliances, such as aligners,or curable composite (e.g., a resin material) that can be used to attachorthodontic appliances to teeth or create orthodontic structures.

In some embodiments, the dental attachment placement structure can befabricated out of a second material that is different than theattachment material. For example, the attachment can be fabricated froma composite material and the dental attachment placement structure canbe fabricated from a polymer, such as those discussed above. In someembodiments, the attachment and dental attachment placement structurecan be constructed such that they are connected to each other. Asdiscussed herein, this connection can be designed to be cut, broken, orotherwise released to allow the dental attachment placement structure tobe removed while the attachment is positioned on the tooth.

As discussed herein, one other benefit to direct fabrication is that oneor more surfaces that will be used to attach the attachment to a toothand/or to position an attachment with respect to one or more teeth canbe fabricated with surfaces that will mate with the correspondingsurface of the one or more teeth to accomplish these functionalities(attachment and/or positioning of the attachment). This can beaccomplished by virtual design of these surfaces and then using thesevirtual designs to fabricate the attachment and/or the dental attachmentplacement structure directly.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of a dental attachment placementstructure having multiple attachment placement components provided onthe structure according to a number of embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the body 201 of apparatus 240has an attachment mounting structure has an aperture 232-1 with anattachment 206-1 placed in the aperture. Through use of the apparatus240, the attachment is in the desired position and orientation forsecuring to the surface 236-3 of tooth 234-1.

Attachments 206-2, 206-3, 206-4, and 206-S are also positioned inapertures 232-2, 232-3, 232-4, and 232-V on surface 236-1 of tooth234-2, 236-2 of tooth 234-3, and 236-T of tooth 234-R. In such anembodiment, one or more of the teeth can have multiple attachmentsaffixed thereon.

In order to save fabrication time and materials cost, the apparatus mayinclude multiple attachment locations and only some may be used at anygiven time. In such applications, the apparatus 240 can, for example, beused to affix attachment 206-2 at one point in time and can be reused toattach 206-S at aperture 232-V or an attachment at one or more of theother locations on the apparatus (e.g., apertures 232-1, 232-2, and/or232-3) at a different time.

Another feature of the embodiment of FIG. 2, is that in order to savefabrication time and materials cost, an apparatus with less material canbe used. In such embodiments, the apparatus can be designed such that areduced amount or minimized amount of material is used in order toproperly position the attachment at a desired location.

Further, in prior concepts, treatment professionals may only have hadaccess to a few, standardized attachment shapes. In this manner, theoptions for treatment may have been restricted based on the limitedforces that could be provided by the standardized attachments. If anyother attachment shape was desired, the treatment professional couldfile or grind the attachment surfaces to change its shape, but atreatment plan would not take these modifications into account andtherefore the actual result would be different than the treatment planresult. This resulted in additional time spent in getting the propershape, misshapen attachments that did not fit or function correctly, andother issues.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure can be used to form suchstandardized attachments, since the apparatus can be fabricated to beused with a specific patient's teeth positioning, specializedattachments can also be designed and can be made available to atreatment professional.

Such specialization can also, for example, include the size of theattachment, shape of the attachment, and other suitable specializedcharacteristics. Accordingly, the patient will be able to get a morecustomized treatment based on use of such embodiments. This can allowthe apparatus to be specialized to the patient, but not be onerous onthe treatment professional who, for example, may not have attachmentdesign skills or capabilities.

In some embodiments, the treatment professional may also select one ormore attachment materials or attachment types and/or select the locationupon which they should be applied. Such embodiments can allow furthercustomization of the apparatus and can be taken into account when themanufacture of the attachment templates are created. Further, in variousembodiments, this customization can be made for each appliance (or formultiple appliances) in a set of appliances of a treatment plan.

In some embodiments, a computing device (such as that described inrelation to FIG. 10 below) can be used to create a treatment plan tomove the teeth of a patient in an incremental manner to improve theirposition within the patient's mouth. Other dental appliances can becreated to aid patients with sleep apnea or medication delivery, amongother types of appliances.

A computing device can be used to create such devices or molds tofabricate such dental appliances, attachments, and/or attachmentplacement structures. In some embodiments, a computing device can beused to virtually model such dental appliances, attachments, and/orattachment placement structures.

For example, through use of a treatment plan and/or virtual modeling, adental appliance (e.g., an aligner for aligning teeth or jaws of apatient) or attachment placement structure can be made, for example, bythermal-forming a sheet of plastic over a physical dental mold. Thephysical dental mold, for instance, can represent an incrementalposition to which a patient's teeth are to be moved and can includeattachment shapes formed in the mold.

In this manner, one or more surfaces of the dental appliance can engagewith one or more surfaces of the one or more attachments (when thefinished dental appliance is placed in the patient's mouth with theactual attachments). By having the attachments on the mold, the dentalappliance is formed with the surfaces that will interact with theattachments.

The physical dental mold can be manufactured, for example, bydownloading a computer-aided design (CAD) virtual dental model to arapid prototyping process, such as, for example, a computer-aidedmanufacturing (CAM) milling, stereolithography, and/or photolithographyprocess.

The dental mold (e.g., set of molded teeth and/or jaw) can be createdfrom a virtual model of a number of teeth and/or jaw of a patient. Avirtual model, for example, can include an initial virtual dental modeland/or intermediate virtual dental model (wherein the teeth of thepatient have been moved with respect to their actual physical position).A dental mold can be formed in accordance with a unique treatment filethat, for example, identifies a patient, a stage of a treatment plan,the virtual model of the number of teeth and/or jaw, and/or whether thedental mold is of the upper and/or lower dental arch.

In some computing device system processes, a treatment file can beaccessed by a rapid prototyping apparatus machine or direct fabricationdevice, such as a SLA or 3D printing machine, to form and/or create thedental mold. As discussed above, the result of the dental mold caninclude a set of molded teeth.

The set of molded teeth can include at least a replica of a number ofteeth of the patient, but can also include other features such asgingival and jaw structures, among others. The dental mold can be usedto make a dental appliance, for example, by creating a negativeimpression of the dental mold using polymeric sheets of material andvacuum forming the sheets over the dental mold, as discussed above.

For instance, a dental appliance or attachment placement structure canbe formed by layering a thermoformable sheet of material and/or multiplesheets of one or more materials over the dental mold. The materials caninclude a polymeric material, for instance.

Generally, the dental appliance or attachment placement structure isproduced and/or formed by heating the polymeric thermoformable sheet andvacuum or pressure forming the sheet over the dental mold (e.g., anumber of molded teeth). A dental appliance or attachment placementstructure can, for example, include a negative impression of the dentalmold. Such molding techniques can be used to create the dentalappliances and attachment placement structures.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate another apparatus embodiment that can be usedin the placement of an attachment on the surface of a tooth. FIG. 3Aillustrates a front view of a dental attachment placement structure foretching a tooth according to a number of embodiments of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 3B illustrates a back view of the dental attachmentplacement structure of FIG. 3A.

In some instances, it may be beneficial to prepare the surface of thetooth for adhering of a dental attachment thereto. It is ideal if thepreparation of the surface of the tooth takes place only at the area inwhich the attachment is to be attached.

Such preparation can include etching of the surface of the tooth whichimproves the adhesion between the tooth surface and the attachment oradhesive material used to adhere the attachment to the tooth. Inembodiments such as that illustrated in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4, the dentalattachment placement structure can be utilized as an etch mask thatallows the etching to occur in the area to which the attachment is to beplaced without etching other surfaces not at the attachment area.

Similar to the apparatus of FIG. 1A, in the embodiment of FIG. 3A, theapparatus 320 includes a body 301 having at least one surface shaped toconform to one or more of the contours of an exterior surface of atooth. The body has multiple surfaces, 302-1 and 302-2, each shaped toconform to the multiple contours of an exterior surface of a tooth, andother surfaces will be discussed in more detail in FIG. 3B.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3A, the body 301 includes an aperture 324formed in portion 302-1. The aperture 324 has a specific shape 322 that,when the apparatus 320 is placed correctly on the tooth, will allow theattachment area (i.e., the area at which the attachment will beattached) to be etched without etching other areas of the tooth. Thestructure illustrated in FIG. 3A, allows the treatment professional toplace the apparatus 320 onto the teeth of a patient to provide a maskfor purposes of etching in a more accurate position and orientation forplacement of an attachment (e.g., the shape of aperture 324 would beappropriate for an attachment such as that illustrated in FIG. 1C(106)), with respect to the tooth surface, than previous techniques.

Similar to FIG. 1B, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3B includesmultiple surfaces that can be used to assist in the alignment of theetch mask with respect to the intended surface of the tooth to which theattachment is to be secured. For example, one or more of surfaces:312-1, 312-2, 312-3, 312-M, 314, 316-1, 316-2, 316-3, 316-N, 318, and/orinner surfaces of portions 302-1 and/or 302-2 can be utilized in variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

In such an embodiment, the surface of the tooth can be etched with anetching material that can, for example be brushed onto the surface ofthe tooth by the treatment professional through the aperture 324. In theembodiment of FIGS. 3A and 3B, the shape 322 of the aperture 324 issized and shaped to be as large or slightly larger or smaller than theattachment that is to be placed on the tooth. However, in someembodiments, the size and/or shape of the aperture may be different thanthe surface of the attachment that is to be placed in the tooth.

When shaped like the surface of the attachment that is to be placed inthe tooth the treatment professional can align the shape of theattachment with the shape of the etched area such that the attachment isat the correct location and in the correct orientation with respect tothe surface of the tooth. Although a particular attachment shape andaperture shape are illustrated, any suitable attachment shape andcorresponding aperture shape can be utilized in the embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

The present example also includes a portion of the body (e.g., surfaces212-1, 212-2, 212-3, 212-M, and/or the inner surface of 202-1) having acontour that is shaped to correspond with a contour of an alignmentsurface of a tooth (e.g., front surface, back surface, side surface,edge surface, etc.) and when the contour of the body and thecorresponding contour is aligned, the etching area is located at theparticular position.

In another example embodiment, a dental attachment placement apparatusincludes a body that has an attachment mounting structure. The body alsoincludes a surface (e.g., surfaces 212-1, 212-2, 212-3, 212-M, and/orthe inner surface of 202-1) having a contour that is shaped tocorrespond with a contour of an alignment surface (e.g., front surface,back surface, side surface, edge surface, etc.) of a tooth and when thecontour of the body and the corresponding contour of the tooth arealigned, a dental attachment, when placed in the attachment mountingstructure, is located at the particular position with respect to anexterior surface of the tooth.

In some embodiments, the body includes at least a second surface (e.g.,inner surface of 102-2) shaped to correspond with a contour of analignment surface of a second tooth. Further, the body can include asecond attachment mounting structure (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 3, 332-1and 332-P) for attaching a second dental attachment to an exteriorsurface of the second tooth (e.g., 434-3).

Another example embodiment provides a dental attachment placementapparatus having a body that includes an attachment mounting structurehaving an aperture that allows an attachment to be placed through thebody and onto an exterior surface of the tooth. The body also includes asurface having a contour that is shaped to correspond with a contour ofan alignment surface of a tooth and when the contour of the body and thecorresponding contour of the tooth are aligned, a dental attachment,when placed in the aperture, is located at the particular position withrespect to an exterior surface of the tooth.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1B and 2B, in some embodiments, the bodyincludes multiple surfaces having contours that are shaped to correspondwith contours of multiple alignment surfaces of a tooth. In some suchembodiments, when the contours of the body and the correspondingcontours of the tooth are aligned, they frictionally hold the apparatusin place against the tooth during securement of the attachment. Forexample, the inner surface of 102-1 and inner surface 114 can engage thecorresponding surfaces of the tooth to hold the apparatus in place whilethe attachment is being placed and/or secured. This can be beneficial asit, for example, can allow the treatment professional to use both handsto address other tasks while the attachment is in position to be securedor is being secured.

In some embodiments, the body can include multiple attachment mountingstructures each having an aperture that allows an attachment to beplaced through the body and onto an exterior surface of the tooth. Forexample, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the apparatus 401 includesmultiple attachment mounting structures each having apertures (e.g.,432-4 and 432-V) that allows an attachment (406-2 and 406-S) to beplaced through the body and onto the exterior surface 436-T of tooth434-R. FIG. 3C illustrates a front view of an etched area of a tooth ofa patient that has been etched utilizing the dental attachment placementstructure of FIGS. 3A and 3B. The resultant etched area 306 has beenaccomplished via the attachment mounting structure illustrated in FIGS.3A and 3B.

In this manner, the surface of the tooth can be etched at an area thatis large enough to secure an attachment, but not un-necessarily large.Also, in this manner, an attachment can be correctly positioned on thesurface of tooth 334-3 and oriented such that it can provide the desiredforce to the teeth of the patient (e.g., 334-1, 334-2, 334-3, 334-R,and/or other teeth of the patient) when combined with the dentalappliance that will attach to the attachment.

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of a dental attachment placementstructure having multiple attachment placement components provided onthe structure according to a number of embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the body 401 of apparatus 440has an attachment mounting structure that includes multiple apertures432-1, 432-2, 432-3, 432-4, and 432-V that can be used to etch portionsof teeth 434-1, 434-2, 434-3, 434-R on surfaces 436-1, 436-2, 436-3, and436-T.

In order to save fabrication time and materials cost, the apparatus mayinclude multiple etch locations and only some may be used at any giventime. In such applications, the apparatus 440 can, for example, be usedto etch a location on a tooth at one point in time and can be reused toetch another location on a tooth at another point in time.

Similar to the embodiment of FIG. 2, another feature of the embodimentof FIG. 4, is that in order to save fabrication time and materials cost,an apparatus with less material can be used. In such embodiments, theapparatus can be designed such that a reduced amount or minimized amountof material is used in order to properly etch a surface of a tooth at adesired location.

FIG. 5A illustrates a front view of another dental attachment placementstructure for etching a tooth according to a number of embodiments ofthe present disclosure. The embodiment of FIG. 5A is similar to that ofFIG. 3A.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5A, the apparatus 520 includes a body 501having at least one surface shaped to conform to one or more of thecontours of an exterior surface of a tooth. The body has multiplesurfaces, 502-1 and 502-2, each shaped to conform to the multiplecontours of an exterior surface of a tooth. Some embodiments may haveone or more other surfaces similar to those shown in FIG. 3B to aid inthe alignment of the dental attachment placement structure with thetooth. In the example of FIG. 5A, the surface 502-1 is positioned ontooth surface 535-1 and surface 502-2 is positioned on tooth surface535-2.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5A, the dental attachmentplacement structure allows for the surface of the tooth to be etchedthrough the aperture. The etched area is illustrated at 574. Adjacent tothe aperture is a releasable portion 570.

The releasable portion can be released by any suitable releasemechanism. For example, a series of perforations can be cut into thebody 501 to allow the portion 570 to be torn away from the rest of thebody 501. This can allow the dental attachment placement structure toalso be used as a guide for the placement of an attachment to be placedin the correct position.

For example, once the area is etched as shown in FIG. 5A, an attachmentcan be secured to the etched area. If an attachment has a surface thatis shaped to correspond to the shape of the aperture, then the edges ofthe aperture can be used as a guide to the correct positioning of theattachment. Once secured, the releasable portion 570 can be removed andthe rest of the body 501 can be removed from the teeth while theattachment remains attached to the tooth surface 535-1.

FIG. 5B illustrates front view of a dental attachment attached to atooth of a patient utilizing the dental attachment placement structureof FIG. 5A. This figure includes a tooth surface 535-1 of a first toothand a tooth surface of a second tooth 535-2, and an attachment 506mounted on the surface 535-1.

As can be seen from this figure, the attachment 506 is positioned andoriented on the surface of the tooth 535-1 in the same position andorientation as the etched area 574, thereby allowing better adhesion ofthe attachment 506 to the surface of the tooth 535-1. This is becausethe attachment was placed in the aperture of body 501 while it waspositioned on tooth surfaces 535-1 and 535-2, then removed after theattachment 506 was adhered to etched area 574.

FIG. 6A illustrates a front view of another dental attachment placementstructure for etching a tooth according to a number of embodiments ofthe present disclosure. FIG. 6A illustrates an embodiment wherein thebody 601 of the dental attachment placement structure has apertures thatdo not fully surround the area to be etched. In such embodiments, thebody can be used as a guide for what area is to be etched (e.g., areas674-1 and 674-2), and as a guide to placement of one or more attachments(e.g., 606-1 and 606-2), but also allows for removal of the body 601,once the attachment has been secured to the surface of the tooth (e.g.,635-1 and/or 635-2).

For instance, FIG. 6B illustrates front view of multiple dentalattachments attached to multiple teeth of a patient utilizing the dentalattachment placement structure of FIG. 6A. This figure includes a toothsurface 635-1 of a first tooth and a tooth surface of a second tooth635-2, and attachments 606-1 and 606-2 mounted on the surfaces 635-1 and635-2, respectively.

As can be seen from FIG. 6B, the attachments 606-1 and 606-2 arepositioned and oriented on the surface of the teeth 635-1 and 635-2 inthe same position and orientation as the etched areas 674-1 and 674-2,thereby allowing better adhesion of the attachments 606-1 and 606-2 tothe surface of the teeth 635-1 and 635-2. This is because the attachmentwas placed in the apertures of body 601 while it was positioned on toothsurfaces 635-1 and 635-2, then removed after the attachments 606-1 and606-2 were adhered to etched areas 674-1 and 674-2.

FIG. 7A illustrates a front view of another dental attachment placementstructure for etching a tooth according to a number of embodiments ofthe present disclosure. The embodiment of FIG. 7A is similar to that ofFIG. 5A.

In the embodiment of FIG. 7A, the apparatus 720 includes a body 701having at least one surface shaped to conform to one or more of thecontours of an exterior surface of a tooth. The body has multiplesurfaces, 702-1 and 702-2, each shaped to conform to the multiplecontours of an exterior surface of a tooth.

As with other embodiments discussed herein, some embodiments may haveone or more other surfaces similar to those shown in FIG. 3B to aid inthe alignment of the dental attachment placement structure with thetooth. In the example of FIG. 7A, the surface 702-1 is positioned ontooth surface 735-1 and surface 702-2 is positioned on tooth surface735-2 to aid in positioning and/or orientation of the dental attachmentplacement structure with respect to the tooth to which an attachment isto be attached and thereby the positioning and/or orientation of theattachment to the tooth.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7A, the dental attachmentplacement structure allows for the surface of the tooth to be etchedthrough the aperture. The etched area is illustrated at 774. Adjacent tothe aperture is a removable portion 770.

The removable portion can be held in place by any suitable mechanism.For example, the removable portion can be shaped like a puzzle piecethat mates with the rest of the body 701 in a particular orientationbased on the removable portion 770 having an irregular shape. As usedherein, an irregular shape is a shape that can only be positioned in oneway with the rest of the body 501 such that the aperture has a desiredshape for etching and/or positioning of an attachment therein. This canallow the dental attachment placement structure to be used for etchingof the surface of a tooth and/or to be used as a guide for the placementof an attachment to be placed in the correct position.

For example, once the area is etched as shown in FIG. 7A, an attachmentcan be secured to the etched area. If an attachment has a surface thatis shaped to correspond to the shape of the aperture, then the edges ofthe aperture can be used as a guide to the correct positioning of theattachment. Once secured, the removable portion 770 can be removed andthe rest of the body 701 can be removed from the teeth while theattachment remains attached to the tooth surface 735-1.

In some embodiments, the edges of the removable portion and the edges onthe body that correspond to the edges of the removable portion can beslanted such that when the removable portion is positioned into the restof the body, it can be held in place. This can allow the treatmentprofessional the ability to use their hands to do other things withouthaving to hold the removable portion in place.

Also, in embodiments such as that shown in FIG. 7A, the apparatus can bepositioned to accomplish etching (with the removable portion in place).The removable portion can be removed once the etch material and has beenapplied. Then, the removable portion can be repositioned with the restof the body for securing of an attachment to the tooth. Once theattachment is secured to the tooth, the removable portion can be removedagain to allow for removal of the apparatus for the patient's mouthwithout having to pull a portion of the apparatus over the attachment.

FIG. 7B illustrates front view of a dental attachment attached to atooth of a patient utilizing the dental attachment placement structureof FIG. 7A. This figure includes a tooth surface 735-1 of a first toothand a tooth surface of a second tooth 735-2, and an attachment 706mounted on the surface 735-1.

As illustrated in this figure, the attachment 706 is positioned andoriented on the surface of the tooth 735-1 in the same position andorientation as the etched area 774, thereby allowing better adhesion ofthe attachment 706 to the surface of the tooth 735-1. As with theembodiment of FIGS. 5A and 5B, this is because the attachment was placedin the aperture of body 701 while it was positioned on tooth surfaces735-1 and 775-2, then removed after the attachment 706 was adhered toetched area 774.

FIGS. 8A-10C provide three embodiments that each include differentsupport structures that make the connection between the body of thedental attachment placement structure and the attachment. Theseembodiments may each have benefits for some implementations and thosedifferences and their benefits are discussed below.

As shown and described in the embodiments of FIGS. 8A-10C, theattachment is located within an aperture and the dental attachmentplacement structure includes at least one support connecting theattachment to the body. As can be seen from the embodiment of FIG. 8C,the attachment 806 can be connected to the one or more supports 808. Thedirect connection can be arched as shown to reduce or eliminate contactof the support to the surface of the tooth.

Such an arch may be beneficial, for example, because the treatmentprofessional may not have to maneuver a detachment tool as close to thetooth as an embodiment where the support or the connection between thesupport and the attachment touch the tooth surface. In some suchembodiments, the support can be connected to the attachment such that itcan be released from the attachment.

For example, in some embodiments, the junction between the attachmentand the support can include a feature to assist in the detachment of theattachment from the support. This feature can be located at or near thetransition between the support material and the attachment material.

The feature can, for example, be a physical feature provided at thejunction, such as one or more perforations, a portion that is thinnerthan the rest of the support and/or attachment, or a different materialthan the attachment and/or the support, among other attachmentseparation structures discussed herein. The feature can also be the useof a particular material at the junction that allows for a stimulant tobe applied to that material that allows the attachment to be more easilyremoved. Such materials could, for example, make the material morebrittle, thereby allowing it to be more easily broken, or cause thematerial to dissolve or disintegrate. Examples, of stimulants includewavelengths of light, such as UV, or chemical materials that cause theabove affects based on interaction with the support material at thejunction between the attachment and the one or more supports.

Once the attachment 806 is separated from the body 801, the attachmentwill remain on the tooth (e.g., attachment is affixed via adhesive tothe surface of the tooth) during a portion or all of one or moretreatment periods and the dental attachment placement structure bodywill be removed from the teeth of the patient. For example, this can beaccomplished by lifting parts of the body over the attachment or bycutting/breaking the body into pieces and removing it in that manner.

The embodiment also includes a dental attachment placement structure,connected to a dental attachment to hold the attachment in a particularposition. A portion of the body has a contour that is shaped tocorrespond with a contour of an alignment surface of a tooth such thatwhen the contour of the body and the corresponding contour of the toothare aligned, the aperture is located over the particular position on thesurface of the tooth.

The attachment placement surface can include the portion of the bodythat is shaped to conform to corresponding contours of an alignmentsurface of the tooth. As stated herein, the alignment surface of thetooth is any shape on the surface of the tooth that can be used inconnection of the attachment placement surface to more preciselyposition an attachment in the surface of the tooth. In this manner, whenthe contour of the body and the corresponding contour of the tooth arealigned, the aperture is located over the particular position in threedimensions on the surface of the tooth. For example, a ridge on thetooth can mate with a corresponding, but complementary surface of theattachment placement surface.

In some embodiments, a dental attachment placement structure, caninclude a body that includes a dental attachment placement structure,connected to a dental attachment to hold the attachment in a particularposition, the body also can include a surface having a contour that isshaped to correspond with a contour of an alignment surface of a tooth.As used herein, an alignment surface of a tooth is any surface that whenmirrored in the shape of a corresponding surface on the body can be usedto properly locate the body with respect to the tooth. For example, whenthe contour of the body that mirrors the contour of the tooth and thecorresponding contour of the tooth are aligned, a dental attachment,when placed in the attachment mounting structure, is located at theparticular position with respect to an exterior surface of the tooth.Examples, of alignment surfaces on a tooth include: a ridge on a frontsurface of a tooth, a valley in a front surface, an edge of a tooth, acorner of a tooth, a contour of the gingival line of a tooth, a ridge orvalley on a back surface of a tooth, among other such features that canbe used to more precisely locate the dental attachment placementstructure in relation to the tooth to aid in the correct placement ofthe attachment.

As discussed elsewhere in the specification the body can include atleast a second surface shaped to correspond with a contour of analignment surface of a second tooth. Such additional surfaces allow forgreater accuracy in the placement of the attachment.

FIG. 8A illustrates an angled front view of a dental attachmentplacement structure having an attachment placement component provided onthe structure according to a number of embodiments of the presentdisclosure. conforming to the surface of the tooth and that there is atop surface In the view of FIG. 8A, an attachment placement structurethat conforms to the front surfaces of a tooth at a top of the tooth,sides of the tooth and bottom of the tooth (along the gingival line ofthe tooth). The illustrated structure is shown for a lower jaw, but suchembodiments are not limited to use with the lower jaw. The attachmentplacement structure 800 of FIG. 8A includes a body 801 having severaltooth shaped portions, at least one of those portions having anattachment 806 connected thereto by a number of supports 808, thesupports separated by one or more apertures 810.

FIG. 8A shows the attachment 806 attached to the body 801 by threesupports 808. One feature of the supports shown in FIG. 8A, is that theyare arched along their direction of elongation. This feature can allowthe surface of the supports that is closest to the tooth to be adistance that is further away from the tooth than the surface of theattachment that is closest to the tooth (the surface of the attachmentthat is to be attached to the tooth).

This can be beneficial for a number of reasons. For example, beingfarther away from the tooth reduces the potential for the support to beadhered to the tooth by stray adhesive that has leaked from between thetooth and the attachment during the securing process or that wassloppily applied during application of the adhesive to the surface ofthe attachment.

Additionally, the spaced nature of the arched support from the tooth mayalso allow separation of the attachment from the supports in a mannerthat reduces the potential for damage of the tooth during separation.For example, if the support is to be cut away from the attachment toform the separation, the tip of the cutting device may have space topass between the support and the tooth during separation where therewould be no space if the support were in contact with the tooth.

Further, as can be seen in the embodiment of FIG. 8A, the support can betapered from a first thickness at its connection to the body 801 to asecond, thinner thickness at its connection to the attachment 806. Thiscan be beneficial in various ways. For example, the thinned connectionat the attachment end of the support allows more space for a separationtool to be placed, while the thicker end allows a more stable andsubstantial support member during positioning and separation.

This can be beneficial in that when the structure is placed on the teethof the patient, force may be applied to the supports and the thickerportion can resist the potential for the support to break during theplacement of the structure. This could affect the positioning of theattachment or render the dental attachment placement structureineffective to assist in placement of the attachment (e.g., thestructure may not be able to hold the attachment in proper position forattachment at the correct location or orientation).

The tapering also makes separation of the attachment from the dentalattachment placement structure body easier. For example, when a cuttingtool is used to separate the attachment from the body, it must cutcompletely through the support to accomplish the separation.

A thinner support means that less cutting needs to be done. Furthermore,a tapered support may negate the need for a cutting tool and separationof the attachment from the support may only require the user to apply acompressive or tensile force on the thinner support end to initiate thebreak. Additionally, when the separation between the body and theattachment is accomplished, there may be a little of the supportmaterial still attached to the attachment (e.g., if the treatmentprofessional did not cut exactly at the junction between the attachmentand the support).

This may leave non-biocompatible material on the attachment and may makethe attachment not fit with the dental appliance that is placed over theattachment (the attachment is a different shape in one or moredimensions than the cavity into which the attachment is to be placed).By using a thinner support end at the junction between the attachmentand the support, the likelihood that extra support material is left onthe attachment is reduced.

The illustration of the embodiment in FIG. 8A also shows that the bodymay not cover the entire front surfaces of the teeth adjacent to thetooth on which the attachment 806 is to be affixed. For example, anaperture 809 may be formed in the body over a portion that would cover apart of the adjacent tooth.

Having more or less material on the adjacent tooth surfaces providesseveral benefits and these can be weighed when designing variousimplementations. For example, having more material will increase thestrength of the body which may be beneficial in some implementations,such as where the installation of the dental attachment placementstructure may be difficult.

Having more material will increase the rigidity of the body which may bebeneficial in some implementations, such as where accurate positioningis important. Further, having used less material for the body may bebeneficial for reasons of reducing weight of the structure, reducingcost of manufacture as less materials and time may be used, andimproving flexibility of the structure to aid in removal, among otherbenefits.

FIG. 8B illustrates an angled back view of the dental attachmentplacement structure of FIG. 8A. In this view, the body 801 of thestructure 800 has a number of tooth cavities for the placement of atooth therein. In the example of FIG. 8B, four cavities are shown,however, embodiments are not limited to four teeth and more or lesstooth cavities can be provided in various embodiments.

Each cavity is formed from a number of surfaces of the structure thatare used to contact a corresponding surface of the tooth onto which thecavity is placed. As shown in FIG. 8A, those surfaces may representcomplete surfaces of a tooth or parts of such surface (e.g., theaperture 809).

The apparatus includes a body 801 having a tooth-shaped surface that isshaped to conform to the front surface of a tooth and is to be placedagainst the front surface of the tooth. This tooth-shaped surface of thebody can include an aperture (e.g., aperture 810) to allow placement ofan attachment at a particular position on the tooth surface. It will beunderstood that, in some embodiments, the aperture may not be completelyclosed around its edge. Such designs should be considered to be withinthe embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 8A, FIG. 8B also shows the apertures 810 that providespaces between the supports 808. In the embodiment of FIG. 8B, thestructure also includes a first back side portion 814 that conforms tothe back side of the first tooth and a second back side portion 818 thatconforms to the back side of the second tooth. As will be discussed withrespect to FIG. 8C, a surface of the structure may also be used inconjunction with the biting surface of a tooth for improving thealignment of the attachment prior to affixing it to the tooth.

Also, it should be noted by the reader that the surface on which theline for element number 806 is positioned is the surface on theattachment that is to be attached to the tooth. It is on this surfacethat an adhesive material is to be placed (the adhesive is not shown).The adhesive can be applied to the entire surface or to a part thereof.The adhesive can be ultra-violet (UV) curable adhesive or any othersuitable type of adhesive that can be used to affix the attachment tothe tooth surface.

In some embodiments, the attachment can, for example, include anadhesive layer positioned to secure the attachment to an affixingsurface of a tooth. In some embodiments, the adhesive is only located onthe portion of the attachment that will contact the tooth. In thismanner, it is unlikely that the adhesive will secure other parts of theapparatus to the tooth or create excess dried adhesive that may need tobe removed from the tooth.

In some embodiments, the surface of the attachment that contacts thetooth may contain a recessed well or pocket in which an adhesive can beapplied. This controls the location of where the adhesive is applied andavoids issues surrounding excess adhesive, for example, unwanted flash,unwanted adherence of the positioning structure supports to the tooth.

In some implementations, a release layer is provided over the adhesive.The release layer can be a thin film of plastic, wax paper, or othersuitable covering that can be removable by the treatment professionalwhen it is time for the attachment to be placed on the tooth of thepatient. This can be beneficial, for example, to allow the adhesive tobe applied at or shortly after fabrication of the apparatus, does notexpose the adhesive to contaminants that may harden or make the adhesiveless effective (e.g., dust).

The use of surfaces (e.g., 814, 818, and/or 812 of FIG. 8C) inconjunction with other surfaces can also allow for use of the corners ofone or more teeth to be used to aid in positioning and/or orientation ofan attachment. The use of corners can be beneficial in that they can beused to control the positioning of the attachment in more axes ofmovement than use of the edge surfaces of a tooth.

FIG. 8C illustrates a cutaway side view of the dental attachmentplacement structure of FIG. 8A. FIG. 8C provides a view of the shape ofthe cavity described above as well and more detail regarding thesupports 808 and attachment 806 and their connection.

As discussed above with respect to FIG. 8B, the cavity for placement ofa tooth is formed from a number of surfaces of the body 801 of thestructure. For example, the cavity, in the embodiment of FIG. 8A-8C isformed from the inside surface that conforms to the front side of thetooth (e.g., buccal side), a surface 812 that contacts and wraps aroundthe tooth's incisal edge (top surface of the tooth in this embodiment,but may be bottom surface, if the structure is designed for the upperjaw), and surface 814 that conforms to the back side of the tooth (e.g.,lingual side). In this manner, the three surfaces, when in contact withthe tooth, can provide more precise locating of the attachment forplacement on the tooth.

FIG. 9A illustrates an angled front view of a dental attachmentplacement structure having an attachment placement component provided onthe structure according to a number of embodiments of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 9B illustrates an angled back view of the dentalattachment placement structure of FIG. 9A.

In FIGS. 9A and 9B, the structure 900 includes an attachment 906 that isconnected by a single connection member 905 to four supports 908 thatare connected to the body 901. In this type of embodiment, theconnection that is severed to detach the appliance from the rest of thedental attachment placement structure offers several benefits.

For example, the connection is a single connection allowing thedetachment to be made with only one breaking of the connection with theattachment. Also, with a single connection, any residual material fromthe single connection member is located in one area of the attachmentmaking removal of the extra material easier.

Additionally, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9A-9C, the connection isat the top of the attachment which makes detachment and removal of anyexcess material easier as the connection area is away from the surfaceof the tooth and more easily accessible. In addition, only one surfaceof the attachment is affected by the presence of these supports,therefore preserving the integrity of all other attachment surfaces.This is important as these surfaces play a critical role in theorthodontic treatment and require a high degree of dimensional accuracy.

Any suitable number of supports can be utilized. For example, in FIGS.9A-9C four supports 908 are used, but in other embodiments, for example,those shown in FIGS. 8-A-8C and 10A-10C, other numbers of supports areprovided.

In some embodiments, the support functionality can be provided by amaterial that spans across at least part of the area covering the frontsurface of tooth. In such an embodiment, the attachment can be attachedto the material or to one or more connection members such as the typeshown at 905 in FIG. 9A.

In such embodiments, the material may, for example, be cut away to allowaccess to the connection between the connection member and theattachment in order to detach the attachment. In some embodiments, astimulant that can be applied as discussed above. In such embodiments,the stimulant can be used, for example, to make the material (or aportion thereof) and/or connection member brittle or dissolve thematerial and/or connection to detach the attachment therefrom.

FIG. 9C illustrates a cutaway side view of the dental attachmentplacement structure of FIG. 9A. FIG. 9C, provides a better view of thesingle connection member 905 that connects the attachment 906 to thesupports 908. As shown in FIGS. 9A-9C, in some embodiments, there is asingle connection area between the attachment and the attachmentplacement structure. As stated herein, this, for example, allows theattachment to be separated from the rest of the apparatus more easilyand/or with less potential for damage to the tooth or attachment duringthe separation process.

FIG. 10A illustrates an angled front view of a dental attachmentplacement structure having an attachment placement component provided onthe structure according to a number of embodiments of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 10B illustrates an angled back view of the dentalattachment placement structure of FIG. 10A.

As shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B, at leastone of the attachment mounting structures can have a support connectedbetween the body and a dental attachment. In this manner the supportscan be cut instead of a solid layer of material thereby making it easierto release the attachment from the rest of the apparatus.

For instance, in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the supports, that connect theattachment 1006 to the body 1001 of the structure 1000, can be formedindividually or can be formed as a sheet of material and then apertures,such as apertures 1010 can be formed in the sheet of material. Thissheet of material can be formed with the body 1001 or can be attached tothe body after fabrication. The support structure can be fabricated asshown in FIGS. 10A and 10B or can be fabricated to fill the entireinside area of inside shape of the tooth of the body 1001 and then apart of the support can be removed to form aperture 1007.

The body can also include an additional attachment mounting structure(e.g., a second attachment mounting structure) for attaching one or moredental attachments to an exterior surface of another tooth. This allowsfurther elements of the patient's mouth to be used to furthercorroborate the position of the appliance. This is, for example, becausethe surfaces and edges of the apparatus when they contact the mouth ofthe patient, at surfaces and edges of the tooth or teeth that thosesurface and/or edges of the apparatus.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, more than one attachment canbe provided on the structure for attachment to a user's teeth. In suchembodiments, the supports can be the same type of configuration, asshown with respect to supports 1008 in FIG. 10A, or can be differenttypes of configurations (e.g., a support type from 8A-8C could beutilized, and/or from another embodiment shown herein).

In some embodiments, having more support material (e.g., the supportstructure of FIGS. 10A-10C compared to the thinner supports of FIGS.8A-8C) may provide benefits in certain implementations. For example, amore stable structure may provide for better positioning of theattachment, due to its rigidity or other characteristics.

FIG. 10C illustrates a cutaway side view of the dental attachmentplacement structure of FIG. 10A. FIG. 10C better shows the arrangementof the support structure 1008 and the aperture 1007 formed with respectto the attachment 1006 and body 1001. In this embodiment, the supportstructure is not arched, which may be easier to manufacture, among otherbenefits, and its connections to the attachment 1006 are away from thesurface that will contact the tooth of the patient. As stated elsewhere,this may be beneficial in allowing for easier detachment of theattachment 1006 from the support structure 1008 and less potential fordamaging the tooth during the detachment process, among other benefits.

In one method of forming a structure as discussed in embodimentsdisclosed herein, the method includes forming an attachment out of anattachment material and a dental attachment placement structure body,connected to the attachment to hold the attachment in a particularposition wherein there is a single connection area between theattachment and the attachment placement structure. In some embodiments,the dental attachment placement structure can be printed using thethree-dimensional printing apparatus.

Another strategy method can include printing the dental attachmentplacement structure out of a second material that is different than theattachment material. Such embodiments can be beneficial in several ways.For example, the body can be made from a material that is easier tobreak, thereby making the separation occur on the body rather than onthe attachment (which could deform the attachment in a manner that wouldmake it unusable). The body material could also be made from a lessexpensive material or a non-biocompatible material (it could becompatible for the short time it is in the mouth of the patient, but maynot be biocompatible over the course of a longer period, such as thetreatment period).

In some embodiments, printing the attachment and dental attachmentplacement structure is done such that they are connected to each otherat at least one point when printed. For instance, the attachment isconnected by three points in FIGS. 8A-8C, one point in FIG. 9A-9C, andthree points in FIGS. 10A-10C.

In another method of forming a dental attachment placement structure,the method includes receiving dental data of a patient's teeth to form avirtual dental model of a patient's dentition. From this dental data, atreatment plan for moving one or more of a patient's teeth, thatincludes the use of at least one attachment that is affixed to a toothof the patient, can be created.

In this treatment planning process, the process further includes,locating a position and orientation of an attachment on the surface of atooth of the patient. Then, a dental attachment placement structure canbe designed, including a body, a number of supports, and an attachmentconnected to the number of supports, wherein the shape of the body isbased on the virtual dental model.

In various embodiments, the attachment can be printed to include onesurface of the attachment with a contour that will mate with acorresponding contour of an exterior surface of a tooth. In this manner,the attachment can be fitted closely to the surface of the tooth whichmay increase its ability to be secured to the surface of the tooth. Insuch implementations, more force may be applied to the attachmentwithout it coming loose from the surface of the tooth, among otherbenefits.

Some embodiments can provide printing one surface of the dentalattachment placement structure with a contour that will mate with acorresponding contour of an exterior surface of a tooth. Suchembodiments may be able to more accurately place the attachment on thetooth surface due to the mating nature of the surface of the structureand the tooth surface, among other benefits.

As shown in FIG. 8C, for example, in some embodiments, the dentalattachment placement structure includes printing multiple surfaces ofthe dental attachment placement structure having contours that will matewith corresponding contours of exterior surfaces of one or more teeth.As stated elsewhere herein, the more surfaces that can be used to alignthe placement structure with respect to the tooth on which theattachment is to be applied, the more accurate the placement of theattachment should be.

As can be appreciated by the discussion of these different embodiments,in can be noted that each of these types of attachment mountingstructures can provide an accurate mechanism for positioning andorienting the attachment with respect to the surface of the tooth towhich the attachment is to be secured, but one type may have benefitsover another in some applications based on one or more characteristics(e.g., whether etching is desired, space available for placement of theattachment, number of attachments to be placed on a single tooth, typeof securement that will be used, etc.).

FIG. 11 illustrates a computing device that can be utilized according toone or more embodiments of the present disclosure. For instance, acomputing device 1142 can have a number of components coupled thereto.

The computing device 1142 can include a processor 1144 and a memory1146. The memory 1146 can have various types of information includingdata 1148 and executable instructions 1150, as discussed herein.

The processor 1144 can execute instructions 1150 that are stored on aninternal or external non-transitory computer device readable medium(CRM). A non-transitory CRM, as used herein, can include volatile and/ornon-volatile memory.

Volatile memory can include memory that depends upon power to storeinformation, such as various types of dynamic random access memory(DRAM), among others. Non-volatile memory can include memory that doesnot depend upon power to store information.

Memory 1146 and/or the processor 1144 may be located on the computingdevice 1142 or off of the computing device 1142, in some embodiments. Assuch, as illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 11, the computing device1142 can include a network interface 1152. Such an interface 1152 canallow for processing on another networked computing device, can be usedto obtain information about the patient, and/or can be used to obtaindata and/or executable instructions for use with various embodimentsprovided herein.

As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 11, the computing device 1142can include one or more input and/or output interfaces 1154. Suchinterfaces 1154 can be used to connect the computing device 1142 withone or more input and/or output devices 1156, 1158, 1140, 1142, 1164.

For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11, the input and/oroutput devices can include a scanning device 1156, a camera dock 1158,an input device 1140 (e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, etc.), a display device1142 (e.g., a monitor), a printer 1164, and/or one or more other inputdevices. The input/output interfaces 1154 can receive executableinstructions and/or data, storable in the data storage device (e.g.,memory), representing a virtual dental model of a patient's dentition.

In some embodiments, the scanning device 1156 can be configured to scanone or more physical dental molds of a patient's dentition. In one ormore embodiments, the scanning device 1156 can be configured to scan thepatient's dentition, a dental appliance, and/or attachment placementstructure directly. The scanning device 1156 can be configured to inputdata into the computing device 1142.

In some embodiments, the camera dock 1158 can receive an input from animaging device (e.g., a 2D or 3D imaging device) such as a digitalcamera, a printed photograph scanner, and/or other suitable imagingdevice. The input from the imaging device can, for example, be stored inmemory 1146.

The processor 1144 can execute instructions to provide a visualindication of a treatment plan, a dental appliance, and/or a one or moreattachments on the display 1142. The computing device 1142 can beconfigured to allow a treatment professional or other user to inputtreatment goals. Input received can be sent to the processor 1144 asdata 1148 and/or can be stored in memory 1146.

Such connectivity can allow for the input and/or output of data and/orinstructions among other types of information. Some embodiments may bedistributed among various computing devices within one or more networks,and such systems as illustrated in FIG. 11 can be beneficial in allowingfor the capture, calculation, and/or analysis of information discussedherein.

The processor 1144, in association with the data storage device (e.g.,memory 1146), can be associated with the data 1148. The processor 1144,in association with the memory 1146, can store and/or utilize data 1148and/or execute instructions 1150 for creating and/or modelinginteractions between an attachment and a tooth; interactions between anattachment and an appliance; and/or combinations of interactions betweenone or more attachments, one or more teeth and/or other structure in themouth of the patient, and/or one or more appliances for moving teeth.

The processor 1144, in association with the memory 1146 can, in additionto or alternatively, store and/or utilize data 1148 and/or executeinstructions 1150 for creating and/or modeling attachment placementstructures and/or attachments, and/or adhesive and/or releasablematerials, as well as a virtual modeling of such items with or withoutan appliance for moving teeth, and/or one or more teeth. The virtualmodel of the attachment placement structure and/or attachments to attacha dental appliance to the teeth of a patient can be used to create aphysical dental appliance, attachment placement structure and/orattachments, for instance, as discussed further herein. The processor1144 coupled to the memory 1146 can, for example, include instructionsto cause the computing device 1142 to perform a method including, forexample, creating a treatment plan based on a virtual model of a jaw ofa patient, wherein the treatment plan includes use of an attachment.

In some embodiments, the processor 1144 coupled to the memory 1146 cancause the computing device 1142 to perform the method comprisingmodeling a virtual dental attachment based on the treatment plan,wherein the virtual dental attachment is constructed to provide one ormore forces desired by the treatment plan.

In various embodiments, the processor 1144 coupled to the memory 1146can cause the computing device 1142 to perform the method comprisingcreating a virtual dental attachment placement apparatus that includes abody having an attachment mounting structure and including a surfacehaving a contour that is shaped to correspond with a contour of analignment surface of a tooth such that when the contour of the body andthe corresponding contour of the tooth are aligned, the dentalattachment is placed in the attachment mounting structure, the dentalattachment is located at a particular position with respect to anexterior surface of the tooth.

Such analysis can be accomplished one or more times for a treatmentplan. For example, if a treatment plan has 30 stages, it would bepossible to have different attachments for each stage or possibly more,if desired. However, in many instances the attachment type, position,and/or orientation may be changed a few times during the treatment plan.

Through use of virtual modeling, attachments can be virtually tested andthe best attachment type, shape, position, and/or orientation can beselected without inconveniencing the patient with trial and error ofattachments during treatment. Additionally, use of virtual modeling canalso allow for custom design of attachment shapes that will be suitablefor a specific patient's needs and/or a specific function within an areaof a patient's mouth. From such analysis, different physical dentalattachment placement apparatuses can be created from the virtual dentalattachment placement apparatus data that would be utilized to create theattachments needed for the different stages.

Further, the specialized nature of the design of such attachments canalso allow the attachments to be made from different materials. In thismanner, attachments during a treatment plan or even during one stage canbe of a different material that may provide more specialized forcedistribution than was possible with standard attachments.

In some embodiments, the printer 1144 can be a three dimensional ordirect fabrication device that can create a dental appliance directlyfrom instructions from the computing device 1142. Embodiments of thepresent disclosure utilizing such technology can be particularlybeneficial for a variety of reasons. For example, such directmanufacture allows for less waste of materials due to less processingsteps and increased specialization of the attachment placementstructure, attachment materials, and/or other components of theappliances described herein.

In some embodiments, the attachment placement structure can be formedand one or more attachments formed with the attachment placementstructure. Such technologies can be particularly useful in some suchembodiments as the two can be fabricated during the same process.

The embodiments of the present disclosure can provide a number ofbenefits. For example, the embodiments can save time and cost inmanufacture, improve the accuracy of the type of attachment materialused, the preparation of the material, formation of the attachments, thepositioning and/or orientation of the placement of the attachments,allow more ability to create specialized attachment sizes and shapes,and can save time and improve the experience of the patient and/ortreatment professional in creating and/or securing attachments, amongother benefits.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same techniques can be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments of thedisclosure.

It is to be understood that the above description has been made in anillustrative fashion, and not a restrictive one. Combination of theabove embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically describedherein will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing theabove description. The scope of the various embodiments of thedisclosure includes any other applications in which the above structuresand methods are used. Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of thedisclosure should be determined with reference to the appended claims,along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims areentitled.

In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are groupedtogether in example embodiments illustrated in the figures for thepurpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is notto be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the embodiments of thedisclosure require more features than are expressly recited in eachclaim.

Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter liesin less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dental attachment placement apparatus,comprising: a body configured to position multiple attachments to atooth of a dental arch, the body including multiple apertures, the bodyincluding a contoured surface for mating with one or more teeth of thedental arch to align each of the multiple apertures over a particularcorresponding position on a surface of the tooth, wherein each of themultiple apertures has an attachment attached to at least two supportsextending from the body and arranged radially with respect to theattachment to support the attachment within the aperture and align theattachment over the particular corresponding position, each attachmentincluding one or more engagement surfaces configured to engage with analigner dental appliance to apply a force to the one or more teeth,wherein the at least two supports for each attachment are configured tobe broken from the attachment at or near locations where the at leasttwo supports and the attachment are connected.
 2. The dental attachmentplacement apparatus of claim 1, wherein the contoured surface of thebody is shaped to conform to corresponding contours of an alignmentsurface of the tooth.
 3. The dental attachment placement apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein at least one of the attachments includes an adhesivelayer positioned to secure the at least one attachment to an affixingsurface of the tooth.
 4. The dental attachment placement apparatus ofclaim 3, wherein the adhesive layer is only located on a portion of theat least one attachment that will contact the tooth.
 5. The dentalattachment placement apparatus of claim 3, wherein a release layer isprovided over the adhesive layer.
 6. The dental attachment placementapparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least two supports provide the onlyconnections between the corresponding attachment and the body.
 7. Thedental attachment placement apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body isshaped such that when the contoured surface is placed on the one or moreteeth, each of the multiple apertures is located over the particularcorresponding position such that the attachment is oriented in threedimensions with respect to the surface of the tooth.
 8. The dentalattachment placement apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body comprises ashell aligner.
 9. The dental attachment placement apparatus of claim 1,wherein a at least one support of the at least two supports includes oneor more of features to facilitate breaking away from a respectiveattachment selected from the group of: a narrowed section having alesser thickness than a remaining portion of the at least one support, asection made of a different material than a remaining portion of the atleast one support, one or more perforations, and a scored section. 10.The dental attachment placement apparatus of claim 1, wherein the atleast two supports are configured to maintain the attachment at apredetermined position relative to the body before the body is placed onthe one or more teeth.
 11. The dental attachment placement apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein a perimeter of the attachment is smaller than theaperture to provide a space between the attachment and the body, wherethe at least two supports bridge the space.
 12. The dental attachmentplacement apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least two supports havean arched shape to provide a space between the at least two supports andthe surface of the tooth when the body is placed on the one or moreteeth.
 13. The dental attachment placement apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe tooth is a first tooth, wherein the body further comprises one ormore additional apertures to position one or more additional attachmentsto a second tooth of the dental arch different than the first tooth. 14.A dental attachment placement apparatus, comprising: a body havingmultiple apertures disposed through the body, the body including acontour surface configured to mate with a surface of a tooth and toalign the multiple apertures over corresponding particular positions onthe surface of the tooth, wherein each of the multiple apertures isassociated with: an attachment attached to at least two supports tosupport and align the attachment within the aperture over a particularposition on the surface of the tooth, a perimeter of the attachmentbeing smaller than the aperture to provide a space between theattachment and the body, wherein the at least two supports bridge thespace and extend to the attachment within the aperture, wherein the atleast two supports are configured to be broken from the attachment at ornear locations where the at least two supports and the attachment areconnected.
 15. The dental attachment placement apparatus of claim 14,wherein the body includes at least a second contoured surface shaped tomate with an alignment surface of a second tooth.
 16. The dentalattachment placement apparatus of claim 14, wherein the body comprises ashell aligner.
 17. The dental attachment placement apparatus of claim14, wherein the attachment includes one or more engagement surfacesconfigured to engage with an aligner dental appliance to apply a forceto one or more teeth.
 18. The dental attachment placement apparatus ofclaim 14, wherein the tooth is a first tooth, wherein the body furthercomprises one or more additional apertures to position one or moreadditional attachments to a second tooth that is different than thefirst tooth.
 19. A dental attachment placement apparatus, comprising: abody comprising a shell aligner configured to be worn over a patient'steeth, the body including a first aperture and a second aperture throughthe body, the body including a contoured surface to mate with one ormore teeth of the patient's dental arch to align the first aperture overa first position on a surface of a tooth and the second aperture over asecond position on the surface of the tooth; a first attachment attachedto a first set of supports to support and align the first attachmentwithin the first aperture over the first position, a perimeter of thefirst attachment being smaller than the first aperture to provide aspace between the first attachment and the body, wherein the first setof supports bridge the space and extend from the body to the firstattachment, wherein the first set of supports are configured to bebroken from the first attachment at or near locations where the firstset of supports and the first attachment are connected; and a secondattachment attached to a second set of supports to support and align thesecond attachment within the second aperture over the second position, aperimeter of the second attachment being smaller than the secondaperture to provide a space between the second attachment and the body,wherein the second set of supports bridge the space and extend from thebody to the second attachment, wherein the second set of supports areconfigured to be broken from the second attachment at or near locationswhere the second set of supports and the second attachment areconnected.
 20. The dental attachment placement apparatus of claim 19,wherein at least one support of the first set of supports is taperedfrom a first width as measured along an aperture edge of the firstaperture to a second width as measured across the location where the atleast one support and the first attachment are connected, the firstwidth greater than the second width.